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| Directory: | Diana Barber |
FROM THE EDITORS
Sadly we report the deaths of Dennis Alwyn Claydon on 20 October aged 85, and Michael Selby-Green, late of Hook Norton.
On behalf of the village we send our condolences to their families and friends.
Our thanks go to Patrick Fox for the cover picture this month.
Preparations continue for the Newsletter to go part colour with the first edition of 2010. Our thanks go to the advertisers that continue to support the Newsletter, for the donations that are left in the Post Office and to the contributors that make each edition of the Newsletter an interesting read. Particular thanks are due to the organisers of the Festival of Fine Ales for the generous grant, which has secured the colour Newsletter and the Directory of Services in 2010.
| Andy | Helen |
| news@hook-norton-newsletter.co.uk | helen@hook-norton-newsletter.co.uk |
The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team
HOOK NORTON FRIDAY TODDLER GROUP
Held at the Baptist Hall 9.15–11.15am
It’s that time of year again where everybody is busy getting ready for Christmas, so here are some dates for your diaries:
18 December - Xmas Party
Closed between 19 December –7 January Open from 8 January
Well, a lot has happened in a short space of time. First of all, thank you for your support in buying from the Phoenix Card Sale on 9 October. It was a great success and we will have another later on in the New Year.
I’d like to thank everybody who volunteered their time on 24 October, the day of our Table Top Sale. I’d also like to thank everybody that made the effort to support us on such a wet day, because without you there would have been no sale. We raised £200, setting us up for the following year, which is what we set out to achieve. So well done everybody involved.
As we had rather a lot of items left we decided to put all the loose clothing into the Firefighters Clothing Bin, which I’m led to believe goes towards their target for fund raising, so to another great cause.
With our funds raised within the year, our group donated 30 shoe boxes to boys and girls aged 2–4, 5–9 and 10–14 years for Operation Christmas Child. We would also like to thank Community Morning for donating the money towards postage of our boxes.
By the time this goes to print we will have been to a car boot at Finmere and purchased a table at the Playgroup’s Christmas Fayre, to sell the remaining items that were left over from our sale. This time it will be to raise money for the Let’s Play Project. Several children from this village benefit from the activities they provide and we know their funds are very low.
We also had a visit from a lady selling Usborne Books on 20 November. If you missed this, then there will be another visit later on in the New Year.
Our Christmas Party will be held on 18 December. We will be having a bouncy castle as normal for the children to play on. The group will start at 9.15am, we will stop for lunch and finish at 1pm.
All I’ve left to say is have a very Happy Christmas and New Year and I will see you all on 8 January 2010.
COMMUNITY MORNING
Mums and Tots is held at Hook Norton Primary School
Wednesdays, 9.15–11.15am in school term time
Community Morning is looking for somebody to take over the running of the group. Kylie from Wigginton has run the Community Morning for the last 12 months and we thank her for doing so, but Kylie will no longer be able to run this group from Christmas onwards and is looking for somebody to take over from her. You don’t have to do this on your own – a few people could take over the responsibility together. Not too much is involved:
Opening and closing
Getting the toys out to be played with and putting them away again.
Making sure you have enough juice and biscuits, tea, coffee and milk and
then washing up at the end.
If nobody comes forward to volunteer, then Community Morning will have to stop.
This year Community Morning donated £50 to the shoe box appeal.
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PLAYGROUND UPDATE
So far, the playground fund stands at over £11,000, thanks to a grant from Cherwell District Council and a generous donation from Hook Norton Beer festival, but we still have a long way to go. We are planning a beer tasting evening at the brewery in January, and you can now donate online at www.savetheplayground.co.uk. There are nearly 400 people on the Facebook group (see www.savetheplayground.co.uk/facebook), so join us for the latest news! Emma Kane
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FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON SCHOOL
The Friends of Hook Norton School (FOHNS) are going big on Christmas this year, so please join us in the festivities. The Christmas Fayre (Thursday 3 December 5–7pm) will have lots of stalls with a Grand Raffle plus a licensed bar, serving mulled wine and the very seasonal ‘12 Days’ Hooky Beer. We’ve got craft stalls, bottle, childrens’ and jam jar tombolas, toys and games, plus lots of other activities. And don’t forget, of course, a special visit from Father Christmas.
We’re also promoting the FOHNS School Lottery. It could be you! Give yourself a chance to win one of ten monthly cash draws of at least £50 (the more members we get, the bigger the prize!). Please contact the school for a form.
And the New Year promises lots of fun. In the offing is a Quiz (Friday 15 January) at the Sports and Social Club with profits to FOHNS. Look out, later in the year, for a Food and Beer Evening, a live band, a Car boot & Bike Sale and an Auction of Promises.
Remember, all your support makes a difference. Audited accounts presented at the FOHNS AGM in September confirmed a profit of just over £8,000 during the year 2007/08, which contributed to the new school minibus. We look set to have achieved a similar profit in 2008/09, which the Friends will donate to the school for the outdoor musical instruments. Thank you to everyone who has helped the Friends to achieve this amazing amount.
Dear Lion President Graham,
Mrs Claus reminded me to write to confirm this year’s visits to my friends in Chippy and, according to our calendar, we start on Tuesday 1 December at 5pm on the west side of the town. Mrs Claus says that is Walterbush Road, etc. Thursday 3 December it is late night opening from 5pm.
On Sunday 6 December I go out of the town to Hook Norton and shall be there from 11am.
I
always look forward to my visits to see all of my friends again,
going around on the Lion’s Club Float, which is more sedate
than my own sleigh. The reindeer and all my elves and gnomes are very
well advanced in their preparations for Christmas and so everything
should be ready on time. The reindeer are in good shape with their
training, except Rudolph does not like early morning gallops, as
usual!
Looking forward to see you all in December, so don’t forget the letters.
PS If the weather is too bad one of the evenings, I may be able to cover on Tuesday 15 December.
HOOK NORTON YOUTH GROUP – THE DROP
Since the last issue we have had the chance to apply for some funding to improve the Norman Matthews Hall where we are based. We are applying for money to resurface the tarmac area outside, put in a staircase to access the large room upstairs, repaint the hall and improve the toilets and add disabled access. We will let you know how that goes as soon as we get news.
Thank you to Hook Norton Charitable Association who has awarded us some money (not sure how much yet), how this will be spent is entirely up to the young people who come to The Drop, most likely on new equipment to use. So if anyone is interested in joining us, we are open on Tuesdays, between 5 and 7pm, to year 4 upwards and have a pool table, ping pong, table football, art stuff, wii and more.
We are still looking for some extra help, so if you are over 18 and can be CRBchecked, please contact us.
We have info on our website: stpeters-hooknorton.org.uk (click on youth). There is also a blog and info on our other youth clubs, Energize and Outlook. Looking forward to hearing from you and maybe seeing you at The Drop.
HOOK NORTON BROWNIES AND GUIDES
We are incredibly lucky here in Hook Norton to be able to provide such active Brownie and Guide units for the girls of the village. Unfortunately, we didn’t find volunteers to take up the challenge of running the Rainbow unit in the village, but we do live in hope that someone may come forward and offer their services in due course.
I don’t know if you are aware, but you can put your daughter’s name down on the waiting list for either Brownies, which is held on a Monday or Tuesday evening, or Guides, which is on a Monday evening. The details to get on the waiting list are as follows:
Brownies (for both units): the waiting list is held by Gill Joyner at Gillianjoyner@aol.com,. Names can be placed on the waiting list from the age of six years. You may become a Brownie from the age of seven years.
Guides: the waiting list is held by Julie Wood at julie@hookiewood.freeserve.co.uk. Names can be placed on the waiting list from the age of nine years, although priority comes from girls who are already attending Brownies. You may become a Guide from the age of ten years.
We have a very exciting year ahead of us with the Centenary year and already the Guides have two camps lined up, so it looks like we have a very busy and active year ahead of us.
THE GUY ON THE VILLAGE BONFIRE IS DELIVERED
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BACK IN TIME
Mrs Groom’s class from the primary school was transported back to the Second World War in Hook Norton during the 1940s when they visited the Museum recently.
| Photographs from this event will be posted as soon as they become available. |
They listened to a couple of housewives from the 1940s discussing the problems that the war brought about in the village, especially those that evacuee children in Hook Norton were experiencing.
There was a surprise visit from Mr Churchill, who was on his way to Chipping Norton to make one of his rousing wartime speeches. He addressed the children.
Suddenly the air raid warning siren went, signalling that there were enemy aircraft overhead. The class made their way in single file to the makeshift shelter in the basement of the Brewery Visitors’ Centre. There was a young woman already asleep in a camp bed. An air raid warden showed the children one way that blackout precautions could be made.
Then the ‘all clear’ signal was sounded on the siren. With danger over, the children made their way upstairs to the Visitors’ Centre where they watched an excerpt from a video of ‘Passion for the Countryside’ (the community drama project made in the mid 1990s about the history of the railway). The excerpt showed a dramatised version of evacuees arriving at Hook Norton Station.
Footnote:
‘Mr Churchill’ was very pleased to be greeted by three young girls the following Sunday as he took part in the Remembrance Day Parade to the Church. ‘Good morning, Mr Churchill,’ they said.
GREAT ROLLRIGHT PRIMARY SCHOOL
Photograph: J C Osmond
This may be the last issue of the year, but it features a first report from Great Rollright CE Primary School. We hope to be an on-going feature in the Newsletter, since the school already attracts a number of pupils and staff from Hook Norton and so a regular slot makes an appropriate window into all that goes on in this small neighbouring community.
To introduce the school: we are a small establishment with (currently) 72 pupils, a four-class structure, headed by Mrs Anne Hewett, who arrived three years ago armed with over 30 years’ teaching experience and a vision and vitality that has proved infectious; under her leadership the school achieved a glowing OFSTED report in 2008. For visitors and newcomers, perhaps the most outstanding features of the school are its stunning rural location and its friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Children who have recently started school in Reception have settled in remarkably well, as have other children who have joined us in various year groups. With a strong, proactive governing body and an active Friends Committee, our fund-raising efforts have demonstrated the strength of community spirit and sociability.
Our biggest event this year – the Great Rollright Village Fete – held in the school grounds in July raised over £2,350 and we were supported by a number of local businesses too, including Countrywide Stores and Applegarth Nurseries, not to mention the Hook Norton Fire Service who was with us in spirit (if not presence – due to the diversion of a column of smoke nearby that needed some urgent attention…).
Also this summer, Anne Hewett and Dice Foakes (school minibus driver), added a significant sum to the school coffers by raising an astonishing £4,400 for their 67-mile sponsored walk along the D’Arcy Dalton Way. Supported by pupils, local individuals and businesses, the funds raised will contribute to new facilities and also all the annual travel expenses of pupils in years 5 and 6, who visit our partnership school, Vasa övningsskola, in Finland each May. We have enjoyed a three-year relationship with the English department of this Scandinavian school and we will be hosting their visit to us in the spring (more news anon). This link between one small community in the Cotswolds and another of similar size in another part of the world has been an invaluable resource to pupils and the education that they receive here.
The school is involved in a partnership scheme of a different kind too, with other schools in the Chipping Norton area. The girls’ hockey team recently came first at the Small Schools Tournament, which took place at Kingham Hill School in October and, on this occasion, our boys’ team came second.
The school offers the children an exciting curriculum with many visits out of school as well as visitors to school. Our school minibus keeps the cost of visits to a minimum. Pupils also regularly meet counterparts from other local schools at various partnership events, often based at Chipping Norton Secondary School. These include musical and sporting events. Our next all-school outing will be to see the pantomime at Chipping Norton Theatre, which is a treat for every age-group.
We regularly welcome members of the local community into school. Our Community Lunches are enjoyed by villagers.
A £250 donation was received by Great Rollright School at the recent Hook Norton Beer Festival Donations Evening, held at the Brewery. Our thanks go to Hook Norton Brewery for the opportunity to be involved in their major charity event.
Small though Great Rollright may be, sleepy it certainly is not and the school has earned its place as a hive of village activity. We look forward to keeping Hook Norton Newsletter readers posted on forthcoming events and we hope you enjoy the view of your neighbours through this little window!
CHIPPING NORTON AIR TRAINING CORPS
We are currently recruiting boys and girls, aged between 13 and 18 years, to join the Chipping Norton Air Training Corps. We are based on the Burford Road, between the fire station and Chippy school. We meet every Tuesday and Thursdays, 7–9.30pm.
Please feel free to either come up to the squadron or give us a call.
Last month, three of our cadets, CDT Haine, CDT Chance and CDT Soper, went for a week’s camp at RAF Waddington. There they visited parts of the RAF base, like the police, dog handlers, fire service and many more.
Also this month, we took part in the Remembrance parade in Chipping Norton. We would like to say a big thank you to the royal British Legion for handing us a cheque and for looking after us that day.
We went poppy selling and that was a very eventful day. I would like to say thank you again to Barney from The Old Mill for looking after us again with his delicious cakes and very welcome tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
This month, most of our staff and cadets are going to Bramley (20-22) for a Tactical Leadership Course. There we will camping and surviving out in the open (hope the weather will be on our side!!).
GARDEN CLUB
The Annual General Meeting was held on 18 November in the Memorial Hall. It was not as well attended as in recent years, but those who did venture out enjoyed a chat with wine and mince pies following the formal business. This was Peter Arnold’s first year as Chairman and he thanked the committee for their support, with special mention for Malcolm Black for organising the excellent programme of events.
Club membership increases annually and the two shows attract more entrants overall. Another interesting programme has been arranged for 2010 and the full calendar will be included in the February Newsletter for you to pull out and keep. The Officers and committee members remain the same; Chairman – Peter Arnold; Secretary – Nicholas Faulkner; Treasurer – Tony Freeman; Vice Chairman – Verity Calderan. Committee, including the Officers; Malcolm Black, Christine Blackham, Ann Faulkner, Frank Faulkner, Alrys Morris, Frances Price and Nick Price, any of whom will be happy to answer queries about the club.
HOOK NORTON WI
On 15 September, we had an extremely interesting talk entitled ‘The Beauty of Oxford’ by Mr Brian Lowe. It was basically a walking tour of Oxford with slides, looking at University buildings and many other places of interest, including the canal, river, Oxford castle and the prison, which is now a well-known hotel. He said that University College, Balliol College and Merton College all claim to be the oldest college in Oxford. His talk left us wanting to visit the colleges and riverside in Oxford.
The competition for autumn fruits was won by Ann Faulkner.
Our meeting on 20 October was by Illona Cross, who used to be a Safari Guide in Africa. She took us on a journey through north Tanzania where we saw pictures of the wildlife that live there. Ethiopia is steeped in history of the religion and is the home of the Covenant in Axum. Northern Mozambique is known as paradise because of its islands and beaches. Colourful pictures that showed the beauty of the countries and the wild animals accompanied the talk. Nancy Longmore won the competition.
We were pleased to welcome three new members and a visitor to our last meeting. By the time this Newsletter is published, we will have had our November meeting with a talk on Denman College by Barbara Grey. Our December meeting will be Christmas entertainment on 15 December. Visitors will be welcome.
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HNCA DONATIONS EVENING
Click to enlarge.
On Wednesday 18 November, the HNCA held the annual AGM and donations evening for Music at the Crossroads at the Hook Norton Brewery Visitors’ Centre. The HNCA were delighted to provide £7,000 to worthy local and selected national causes. This has been the best year yet for funds raised by our annual music festival, which has now donated over £52,000 since 2001. We wish to thank all the people who have worked so hard to make our local festival such a huge success, with special thank yous to Nigel Matthews and James Clarke for their continued support. |
MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING
Once again, Hook Norton pulled out all the stops and attended the Biggest Coffee Morning in the World on Friday 25 September 2009, held at the Study Centre. The sun shone and plenty of customers came through the doors. Wonderful cakes and coffee, with the usual huge raffle, welcomed the people in. Once again, Christmas started with the purchasing of the cards and gifts from Macmillan.
Having sorted out the figures, I am thrilled to announce that this year we raised a total of £1,041.80 at the coffee morning and sales of Christmas cards and gifts after the event. Since 1996, which was the first year that I held the coffee morning in my house, the total from Hook Norton stands at £10,111.90. I am thrilled that this year we got it to top £10K! A brilliant achievement from the people of Hook Norton.
I would like to take this opportunity in not only thanking the helpers, that you can see here pictured, but also to thank you for supporting this very worthy cause – many of you I know look forward to the coffee morning and support me every year and that I am very grateful for.
No doubt in the next Newsletter I shall be advertising the date of next year’s event, so please look out for it and make a note in your calendar.
Thank you also to Emily Daly, who brought her Forever Living Products to the Macmillan Coffee Morning and made a generous donation to the total.
Many thanks to you all again and have a great Christmas knowing that we are supporting such a great cause.
BLOOD DONOR ALERT!
  A blood donation session will be held in Hook Norton School on Thursday 31 December 2009 between 10am and 2.30pm. To book an appointment, please visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. New donors are always welcomed. Please don’t leave it to somebody else – give blood, save life! |
SKYDIVING!
On Friday 20 November (weather permitting) June Bamlett and Gill Begnor will be jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet (2 miles) in tandem skydives, to raise money for their two chosen charities. This idea was conceived in The Sun after one or two too many beers – and seemed like the best idea in the world. Several months ago! As we write, with three days to go, it seems like the silliest idea in the world. Ever!!
On 20 November 2008, June lost her mum, Helen Pauling, to pancreatic cancer. Her mum had only been diagnosed with this agonising disease five weeks earlier so her death left all of the family reeling from the shock of how quickly she had been taken from them. June had always understood that cancer was a potential killer, but hadn’t realised how aggressive it could be until she started learning more about this form of the disease. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer stands at just 3%, hugely lower than the survival rates for other forms of cancer.
This has shown us that as much money as possible needs to be channelled into research for finding a cure and for supporting the sufferers and their families. This is why June will be jumping out of the plane, scared witless as she is, because her mum was a very special person and she knows it would mean a lot to her that her death will have helped other people to suffer less. For more information about the charity, please visit their website: www.pcrf.org.uk.
Gill is jumping to raise money for the children’s wish charity, Rays of Sunshine
Gill is a volunteer wish coordinator for the charity, whose purpose is to grant the wishes of children who are living with serious or life-threatening illnesses between the ages of 3 and 18 years. The charity aims to help them and their families to experience the joy and excitement of doing something they’ve only ever dreamt of before. You can read about some of the wonderful wishes granted to children on the Rays of Sunshine website and we will update you in a future Newsletter on how the money raised from this event was used.
In the meantime, a lovely wish that was granted recently by the charity was for Joshua, who is seven years old and was diagnosed in September 2006 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and has had 40 weeks of chemotherapy. Joshua is Star Wars mad and it is all he watches when he is in hospital. His favourite character is R2-D2 and in October 2009 Rays of Sunshine granted Joshua’s greatest wish and gave him his very own R2-D2 DVD projector. Joshua’s dad said, ‘Joshua was completely blown away by his projector – he was so excited I thought he was going to explode. Last night he had a sleepover with his sister watching Star Wars with his new best friend R2-D2.’
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Proof Click to enlarge.
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Please sponsor June or Gill or both via their Just Giving pages: |
FESTIVAL OF FINE ALES DONATIONS EVENING
The donations evening for the 2009 Hook Norton Festival of Fine Ales was held at the Brewery Visitors’ Centre on Tuesday 13 October. This year’s festival was the most successful yet and, despite the additional expenses incurred from the move to the new venue, we were thrilled to be able to give away a total of £16,350, distributed as follows:
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Leukaemia Research |
9000 |
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Helen & Douglas House |
1000 |
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Hook Norton Playground Appeal |
1000 |
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Katharine House Hospice |
1000 |
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Fire Service Benevolent Fund |
800 |
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Oxford Cancer Centre |
800 |
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Hook Norton Cubs (set up in 2009) |
500 |
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Hook Norton Village Newsletter |
500 |
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Rays of Sunshine |
500 |
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Chipping Norton Midwives |
250 |
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Dogs for the Disabled |
250 |
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Great Rollright School |
250 |
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Hook Norton Playgroup |
250 |
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Lee Stratford Community Trust |
250 |
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Total |
16,350 |
Representatives of most of the charities attended the donations evening and we were privileged to welcome Dr Graham Collins, holder of the Hook Norton Leukemia Research Fellowship, who gave us an update on the research our donations help to fund.
Next year’s festival will be held on Saturday 17 July. If anyone would like to be involved in any way, please contact Gill at gill.begnor@isofthealth.com.
KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICE
Annual collection day, 9.30am–5pm
Thursday 10 December, Banbury Town Centre
Once again we have an opportunity to collect in the town and would welcome help from volunteers to stand with a tin for 1.5 hour slots. Last year, thanks to our volunteers and shoppers, we raised £2,400 in a day. For information, telephone Valerie on 01295 812161.
‘Bag Pack’ day
Tuesday 15 December, Sainsbury’s Supermarket, Banbury.
Do you have time to help with our Bag Pack Day? Thanks to Sainsbury’s, Banbury, we have a great fundraising opportunity with slots commencing at 9.30am and we would love to hear from anyone who can join our friendly team. Last year’s was a real fun event raising over £1,200. Please call Valerie on 01295 812161. A little of your time makes a great difference!
Stuck for Christmas gift ideas?
Why not buy your friend or relative 20 weeks’ membership in our popular lottery? For £1 per week, there is a chance of winning £1,000 every Friday! Here’s how it works. You choose how many weeks you wish to purchase (from ten upwards) and upon receipt of your payment, we send you an attractive card for you to pass on with all the relevant details. Telephone Wendy in Fundraising on 01295 812161.
Christmas cards and quilt raffle:
We have a wonderful selection of Christmas cards for sale and our calendar for 2010 featuring local scenes. These are available from all our shops and via mail order (call Fundraising on 01295 812161). Or if you prefer, you can send a personalised hospice ‘gift’ card. Instead of a present, you send a donation to Katharine House Hospice and we will produce a personalised greetings card for you to send. Further details and an application form can be seen on our website: www.khh.org.uk.
We also have raffle tickets for three beautiful handmade quilts, donated by a loyal supporter. This will be drawn in the week before Christmas. Tickets are £1 each and are available from our six charity shops –Banbury (including furniture shop), Brackley, Bicester, Shipston and Chipping Norton) – and hospice reception. Images of cards and quilts can be viewed at www.khh.org.uk.
Finally, a huge thank you from all of us at Katharine House in Adderbury to all our friends in Hook Norton for their help and support over the past year. As you may know, we make no charge for our service, which this year will cost £2.4 million to provide. Of this, we must raise at least £1.6 million ourselves, from voluntary sources. It is through the support of our friends in the community that we are able to do this and on behalf of staff, volunteers, patients and their families, we send our grateful thanks to you.
Our best wishes for a happy and safe Christmas and New Year to you all.
THANK YOU
 The recent Orchard Road Marie Curie cancer appeal collected £63. A big thank to all those who contributed. |
WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK: MID SEPTEMBER TO MID NOVEMBER
Where has this year gone? With the days now being short, the great, blue and coal tits are busy flying around our feeders and I expect you have plenty too. Contrary to some reports, I have seen many blackbirds recently – with all the dew on the grass you can see where they have been hopping around in the early morning. We have wrens, goldfinches and greenfinches as well. A flock of about 30 starlings have been flying to their roost in the afternoon and there are flocks of small birds around, which are difficult to recognise as they fly so fast.the leaves coming off the trees it is an easier time of the year to spot birds and we must take advantage of this before the leaves appear again in the spring.
A late staying chiffchaff was heard singing on 26 September by David Shirt and also over White Hills Farm a loudly croaking raven flew low on 27 September. Christopher Barry saw five buzzards wheeling over the village on the morning of 27 September.
I think the highlight of the year has to be the sighting by Mike Batley, at 4pm on 6 October by the allotments in Burycroft Lane, of a Jack snipe.
On 7 October a red kite was seen flying over East End, a heron on 14 October, and a small flock of white wagtails on 20 October.
Guthrie Clarke, from the Old Rectory, has been in touch to say that he was delighted to see a kingfisher, in the first week of October, flying over the Rop at the bottom of their garden. It is over 30 years since he has seen a kingfisher in his garden. At the end of September his wife Margot saw one flying and then perching in the same place. On 19 October, Frances Price saw a kingfisher in her garden in Park Hill. Must be wonderful to have this bird in your garden and particularly great when it is in the sunshine when the splendid plumage shows varying shades of blue, from deep blue to pale blue-green, according to the angle of the light. Often all that one sees is a pale blue flash as the bird flies past. The fish they eat, often sticklebacks and bullheads, are beaten against the perch, for only when dead will spines or stiff fins flatten, making the fish safe to swallow.
Fieldfares and redwings have returned and were first seen on 20 October. If you have seen these birds before this date, please let me know. First they come to our hedgerows to eat the large quantities of berries and then they move on to our fields. They are extremely gregarious as they flock with their own species, mix together and even allow other thrushes to join their gatherings.
A few butterflies were seen, such as small tortoiseshell and comma on 10 October, and on 28 and 30 October, a painted lady.
On 17 September at 10.45pm Ian Taylor in East End had five badgers in his garden digging up his gravel drive. During October, Janet Randall spotted either a weasel or a stoat by the garden wall in her garden in Sibford Road.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and hope it will be an interesting and exciting one for us all. Please get in touch with me with your sightings. I would really like to hear from more people as I know residents of the village like to know about wildlife sightings in and around the area. Thank you very much indeed to those of you who have been in touch with me all through the year.